Green Supply Chain Management’s Restraining Effect on Corporate Greenwashing

Using a sample of China’s A-share non-financial listed companies from 2015 to 2023, this article empirically explores how green supply chain management (GSCM) constrains corporate greenwashing. Baseline results confirm GSCM exerts significant governance effects on greenwashing. Mechanism tests show GSCM restrains greenwashing by lifting environmental disclosure quality, boosting substantive green innovation and tightening internal and external supervision. Such an inhibitory effect is stronger for firms with higher supply chain concentration, greater supply chain resilience, dominant market status and better reputation. Further economic consequence analysis finds that GSCM-induced greenwashing reduction improves ESG performance, narrows ESG divergence, eases financing constraints, cuts supply chain risks and fosters new quality productivity. This article supplements relevant literature and offers empirical evidence for green industrial chain governance and high-quality economic development.